Mark Waugh complains of Queensland 'bias'

A player from NSW is complaining about selection bias?!?! Man, that is rich, particularly since whilst Mark Waugh went through some form struggles in the 90's, guys like Darren Lehmann, Marty Love, Brad Hodge, Stuart Law, etc. were cooling their heels. Didn't complain about any bias then, did he? Why? Because he was a beneficiary. Funny that.

Oh and for the record, Mark, Allan Border was born in NSW and played at least his first season of Sheffield Shield cricket for them. Oopsie.

I still can't believe I've read this. I feel dumber for having gotten all the way through it.

I'm not denying that there have been some strange selections of late but was the same allegation levelled at the selection panel (which was dominated by New South Welshmen at the time) when they picked Gavin Robertson on the tour to India in 1998? Nope.

I had to give the noggin quite a scratching after that. Didn't quite make sense. Maybe he'd been drinking?

<Tom> Do you have role models you try and live up to?

<Cameron> Role models, not as such. I try to base my self on someone like .. Ian Botham i.e. I come in late in the game and try and belt as many runs as I can. I also try to help in the bowling department. Really, I try to live up to my dad. He always belts me with a burlap sack full of reeds saying "WHY! WHY DIDN'T YOU WIN!" I tell him it wasn't my fault, it was the middle order but he won't listen ... he just keeps hitting ...

mark waugh tells it like it is, doesn't seem to want to pull too many punches, doese he? he'd know andrew symonds pretty well, and says that his selection was "one of the worst decisions i'd seen for years". then says that hauritz "bowled as his figures suggested" in the mumbai test and after playing against james hopes, he "couldn't see him wearing australian colours". at least he's not afraid to say what he thinks, better than most cricket writers going around, pandering to the aussies all the time.

A player from NSW is complaining about selection bias?!?! Man, that is rich, particularly since whilst Mark Waugh went through some form struggles in the 90's, guys like Darren Lehmann, Marty Love, Brad Hodge, Stuart Law, etc. were cooling their heels. Didn't complain about any bias then, did he? Why? Because he was a beneficiary. Funny that.

Oh and for the record, Mark, Allan Border was born in NSW and played at least his first season of Sheffield Shield cricket for them. Oopsie.

I still can't believe I've read this. I feel dumber for having gotten all the way through it.

So your saying he is wrong? The fact that he is a New South Welshman has nothing to do with this. He does not share the same opinions as the Australian selectors

Waugh was prattling on a bit, and it has to be said that his comments were a bit funny when you consider that so much of the country perceives that there is a strong NSW bias in the selection panel (whether there is or not).

On Symonds, it was a 50/50 call. Symonds WAS in great form at the time, and there were many people interested in whether he could translate his one-day form to the test arena. However, the biggest person going in to bat for Symonds was Ponting, a Tasmanian. Katich was unlucky, but I can see why the selectors gave Symonds a go.

When it comes to MacGill, I think that Waugh's way off-base - yes, it was absolutely ridiculous that Hauritz (who IMO is garbage) was able to play in front of both White and MacGill. However, I don't think this came down to state bias as much as it did a general anti-MacGill sentiment which goes back quite a few years at both team level and on the part of the selectors. There's no doubt he's the second-best spinner in Australia, and should be treated as such. I suppose you could argue for variation, but I would only really run with that if whomever was bowled in front of MacGill was at least of somewhat comparable ability.

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